A nearly 34-ton armored fighting vehicle– that swims? Marines will have a new Amphibious Combat Vehicle to storm the beaches in future battles.
(FOX)- Unveiled this week at the Modern Day Marine, the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, or the ACV 1.1, was created by BAE Systems and IVECO Defence. The vehicle combines a high degree of protection with amphibious and land capabilities.
The new armored assault vehicle can launch from a ship at sea and then travel by water, ready to launch attacks on the shore. Once it reaches ground, it can chase enemy forces at 70 miles per hour and unleash some serious firepower.
Currently, the Marines use options like the AAV-7A1 amphibious assault vehicle to move from ship to shore. The AAV-7A1 has been in service for about 45 years, and has undergone upgrades, but there is room for improvement and a new vehicle to meet the current and future requirements of today’s Marine Corps.
The ACV 1.1 could join the Marine Corps’ Assault Amphibious Vehicle fleet in the future.
Based on a platform developed by IVECO Defence Vehicles, the ACV 1.1 leverages a new 6-cylinder, 700HP power pack. This approach aims to equip the Marines with even more power than the current Assault Amphibious Vehicle.
The ACV 1.1 is big enough to carry 13 Marines plus a crew of three. It’s about 29 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 9 feet high.
In practice that would mean that it could launch from a ship and “swim” about 12 nautical miles through the ocean to reach the shore. While out on the water, it can reach speeds of six knots. Once on land, it could travel about 250 miles at a maximum speed of about 70 mph. It has a total range of approximately 350 miles.
(Photo Credit: BAE Systems via Fox News)